It pays to have high connections

Watch it. Malacañang reportedly will delay by two months naming a replacement for retired Supreme Court justice Ruben Reyes. Its reason: another justice, Adolfo Azcuna, is retiring anyway on Feb. 6, so why not tap the two successors at the same time. With the lame excuse, the Palace could sneak in a loyalist along with a neutral appointee. It just cannot be trusted to do the right thing.

The Judicial and Bar Council that screens nominees to the judiciary is forewarned. Malacañang is bent on packing the SC with sycophants. Pliant justices can uphold the admin’s patently unconstitutional moves, like term extensions via House-only constituent assembly. They can quash plunder and war crimes suits that Gloria Arroyo will face in 2010.

Malacañang makes its SC picks known to its allies in the JBC, among them the justice secretary and the House justice chair. It also uses media pals. When Palace pet Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera was nominated to the SC, the same hacks who defended the overpriced ZTE deal came out to praise her to high heavens.

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It pays to have high connections. Not only did a sub strive to have Justice Sec. Raul Gonzalez free the three “Alabang boys” before Christmas. His deputy Ric Blancaflor also tried to rush the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency into releasing the suspected narco-traders. And Palace aide Dodi Limcaoco has been named as the “influential uncle” of one of the trio.

If only the Senate were in session, gorier details would surface. Sen. Greg Honasan, head of the drugs committee, announced an inquiry when sessions reopen Jan. 19. But then he might have to recuse himself, for Blancaflor was once his chief of staff.

The PDEA is raring to bare in the Senate a “P50-million bribe” for prosecutors to dilute its case against the wealthy trio from Ayala-Alabang. Dir. Gen. Dionisio Santiago says he will present mobile phone messages as evidence. His “incorruptible” Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino will testify on Blancaflor’s interloping, and offers of P3 million and P20 million to drop charges.

But precisely because of high connections, two weeks is a long time. Anything can happen from now till the Senate starts hearings. Santiago and Marcelino can be made to shut up or change their stories. The best way for them to show earnestness is to file charges this early against the bribers and bribees.

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Last Friday I wrote how the Dangerous Drugs Act is strict on erring cops but not on prosecutors. Came this reaction:

“I am Phillip Kimpo Jr., 23, a writer, poet, and blogger. If my name sounds familiar, maybe it is, albeit for the wrong reason. I am the only child of Senior State Prosecutor Phillip I. Kimpo, one of those falsely and unfairly involved in the alleged P50-million bribery.

“I am not writing on behalf of my father. He would discourage me from writing this if he knew. He does not let me get involved in matters of his work. I am writing this as a son who deeply cares for his one remaining parent, a son who has lived a simple and sometimes difficult life because his father maintains an honest lifestyle.

“I have always regarded you as a journalist and columnist of high integrity. Thus, it came as a painful shock to read your January 2 column.

“Being a writer myself, I know it is perfectly right to express one’s opinion, especially in one’s own newspaper space. But it was very disheartening to read your take on the matter. You wrote of the changing of cash as if it were historical fact, not mere allegation. As far as I know by keeping tabs on the news, PDEA has yet to present proof of the alleged bribery attempt. On the other hand, there was strong evidence for the case’s dismissal, as stated in the investigating prosecutor’s resolution.

“For the record: my father never received any bribe money for the case. He has never received any bribe money in his entire career. If he did, we would now be wallowing in wealth instead of driving an old car and renting an apartment. Kahit tingnan pa nila ang laman ng bank account namin, wala silang makikita. We have nothing to hide. Even my dad’s fellow-public servants know of his incorruptible character.

“At the risk of getting soppy, there was a time in my childhood when our apartment was the only one on the street lit by candles. (Unpaid electricity bills.) There was a time when we had to settle for Maggi-and-egg dinners, loaned from the nearby sari-sari. Nililista lang, walang pambayad. There was a time when my only entertainment were books and radyo-nobelas, because we had no money to fix our broken TV.

“We rent an apartment in Galas, Quezon City, the only home I’ve known in my whole life. Our car is an old, dented, second-hand Mitsubishi Lancer whose headlights are nearly falling off their sockets and paint is flaking. Our old Lancer, while a tad embarrassing to ride in, suits our needs just fine. We don’t feel the pressure to have a shiny model to park alongside other government officials’ more grandiose cars.”

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